Paladin's Tea Party
by Kid'sDarkWolf
Summary: After Hunk and Shiro find tea leaves at the market, it's brought to the other Paladins' attention that they missed their leader's birthday by a good week. They want to have a party for him, but all he wants is for them to have a cup of tea with him. Late birthday fic for Shiro!


Okay, so I was having a cup of tea, and I thought to myself, "I bet Shiro loves tea, and Coran seems like he'd adore the stuff if given a taste!" And then I realized I missed Shiro's birthday and decided to make something for it!

Please note that this took me maybe twenty minutes to write, is completely uneditted so might be just a _bit_ unorganized and randomly phrased, and the characters might be a bit ooc, especially Shiro... I always have trouble getting my favorite characters down in words...

 **Paladin's Tea Party**

Hunk loved when they stopped at random markets. He loved the strange aliens and the wonderful though unusual smells of vendor stalls, he loved haggling and scanning items to know if it was right for human consumption. He _loved_ the market.

Normally, he'd be going around with Lance, who's cheery enthusiasm had them going all over the place, stall to stall. He loved watching Lance pick up and haggle for items for the _team_ , for anyone and everyone he thought would appreciate this strange little nick-knack or another.

If Lance couldn't go, Pidge would normally join his excursions. She'd be the voice of reason if he was going too far in a haggle for a rare food item, and he'd do the same for her over a piece of alien tech. Sometimes, they found a food or a tech piece _both_ of them wanted so had no voice of reason at all, but that was probably why Shiro would send Keith occasionally to check in on them.

He'd gone shopping with Keith a total of two times, and for some reason the poor guy just _attracted_ trouble in places like this. It had long since been decided that Keith was the 'check-in' not a shopper. If he went in as a shopper, bad things happened. It was simply bad luck.

Hunk vibrated with energy right now, as for the first time he was shopping with Shiro because Lance was needed in diplomatic meetings and Pidge was busy tinkering. He loved shopping with new people, especially friends, picking out their tells if they wanted something but refused to say, or when they disliked something but again refused to say. He loved the different habits of different shoppers, and he loved seeing what really got them into the experience.

But more than that, Hunk just couldn't wait to show the Black Paladin just what he could do for the team. He wanted to make the man proud. It was like family reunions where he'd try to get his cousin's attention, but not, because you didn't really have to fight for Shiro's attention. He was a leader that wanted nothing more than equality between his members, made a point to check in with all of them on their downtime, and Hunk _respected_ that.

So to be able to show him something like this, something that brings Hunk true joy… It was exciting.

Currently, Shiro walked next to him, looking fascinated as they walked by different stalls or downright confused at others. Hunk liked seeing his face so open and not bogged down by worry or alarm. He liked that he was relaxed enough here to be a calm but steadfast presence in the overwhelming market.

He dragged his leader towards a med-tent. "First thing I always look at are medical supplies," he explained cheerfully, "Coran and Allura told me that it's a good idea, because the castle medical resources are _definitely_ important. I like to check it out, see if there's any earthly equivalents, and even just bandages and stuff are necessary."

"That they are," Shiro agreed easily, smiling rather proudly as they passed the threshold and took in the various tables. He felt warmth in his stomach at the small praise and turned as the shop-keeper perked up happily at the sight of them, and Hunk knew it was because most only came in for necessity and rarely for pleasure.

For Hunk, it was always a little of both. He went forward and began speaking, explaining what he was doing there and how his scanner worked, so the poor woman wouldn't be too alarmed. She was one of the locals, not a traveler like some, and so had pale blue skin and three eyes, no ears, and long flowing black hair. She was beautiful, and Hunk almost wished Lance was here. Sometimes it was amusing to watch the Blue Paladin flirt.

"Anything specific you'd like to look at?" She asked kindly, her black eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity.

"Do you have anything like pain killers?" He asked after a moment of thought, thinking back to Pidge's headache a few days ago.

"Yes, we have Nu-bar, it's a yellow bark that grows on the Nu trees." She named off a few things and Hunk listened along, scanning the items she produced for him. He grinned and asked for a few bottles of the tablets she said were engineered in the main city. According to the scanner, it was basically a low dose of Tylenol, or at least it's universal equivalent. He turned to Shiro to give a grin and paused.

Shiro was looking at the shelf behind the counter, a thoughtful but rather sad look on his face. Hunk turned to look himself and saw what looked like herbs of some sort. They almost looked familiar, too, but he couldn't say from where or how.

The shopkeeper looked up, too, and said slowly, her voice cautious, "Those are Muri leaves. Preparing one into a soup is a remedy for cleansing, but too much can be very fatal. Most consider it poison, especially if they don't have a medical background or are unaware of its medical properties."

Shiro focused on her now, before looking up again. Hunk thought he once more looked a little sad, maybe even a bit disappointed, "Can I see some up close? I'd like to scan it. If it's good for cleansing or something, it's always nice for if someone on our team gets sick."

The poor woman hesitated before looking at Shiro's face and also seeing the sadness there, and carefully pulled on a pair of gloves to retrieve one of the small bundles, "Be very careful, the leaves are dangerous to touch before they are processed into soup."

Shiro held out a gloved hand, his metal hand for just in case, and Hunk watched in concern as he pulled out his own scanner. It flashed over the item quickly, and within moments there was a quiet buzz, unlike Hunk's chiming tone. His concern turned into amazed fascination as his friend's face lit up like a little kid on Christmas before he brought the bundle to his face and took a large whiff.

The shopkeeper yelped quietly and began looking around, probably for an antidote, and Hunk was frozen for a moment, "Shiro? Are you okay?"

Shiro grinned at him, large and wide and the happiest Hunk had ever seen him, "They're tea leaves!" he breathed out, emotion swimming in his eyes, "Tea leaves, Hunk!"

The keeper stopped collecting things and turned to him in surprise, "You can still speak?!" she gasped, "You're okay! Oh, praise the sun!"

Hunk continued watching his friend, who winced slightly and looked a bit sheepish, "My scanner said it wasn't harmful to humans," he explained guiltily, "I'm sorry I scared you just… on my planet it's common to drink this, and many people consume it daily, I was one of them…." He shrugged, now looking very embarrassed, "I didn't think about how my reactions would affect you, ma'am, I'm truly sorry. It's just… been a long time since I've seen anything like them."

As the keeper relaxed, she once more looked very fascinated, and demanded a more in-depth explanation, which Shiro willingly gave, obviously embarrassed by his own actions. Hunk just felt sad.

This truly hit home for him just how painful everything really was to his friend. It had only been a few months for him and the other earthlings, but for Shiro… the first four months to get to Kerberos, and then a year with the Galra before these months within the Castle of Lions… It had been over two years for the older man. Shiro did everything they could to keep them happy and content, to keep them from being too homesick, when his own homesickness was probably way worse.

Two years….

He turned to the duo, who were both smiling now, talking about the differences in their species and how some of the herbs in tea, which was healthy for humans, could be deadly for her people.

"How much of that stuff do you have?" He asked, interrupting them when there was a slight pause, "I'll be careful not to let any of the locals see or touch it, but we'd really like some. I was never much of a tea drinker, but I'm sure Shiro can school me in it."

"Most don't want it at all, so I'll give you a discount on it," the keeper smiled at them, her teeth pointy but pretty, kind even as it was deadly. She'd seen Shiro's longing for it, just as Hunk had, and he loved this woman for it.

The Black Paladin suddenly gave a quiet laugh, happy and content for the first time in probably two years, and Hunk pretended he didn't see his eyes become slightly glassy. In the end, it was worth every penny.

TTTTTTTTTT

Lance sighed and sank down on the couch in the common room by the kitchens, right next to Pidge. He loved when he got to be in the politics with Allura and Coran, but sometimes it was _exhausting_. He much rather have gone to the markets with Hunk and let Shiro go for the meeting. At least then his energy would have been spent _doing_ something other than sitting around a table, drinking a bitter alien drink and negotiating.

Politics had no right being so tiring.

He glanced at Pidge, who continued tinkering with some sort of tablet device, "What did you guys get at the market today?"

She looked up and blinked at him, "I didn't go. I thought you did."

Lance sat up quickly, "You let _Keith_ go?! We have to- oof!"

A towel hit him in the face, and he turned to glare at Keith, who stood in the doorway, hair wet from a shower, "I didn't go, stop shouting." He slumped in, a slight bruise on his arm showing he'd been in the training deck, and slumped into the spot next to him.

Lance huffed, feeling a bit sad for his lonely best friend, "So Hunk had to go by himself?"

"No," Keith rolled his eyes, sighing into the soft cushions of the couch in a way Lance had done not a minute ago. "Shiro went with him."

"Really?" Lance blinked in surprise. Shiro was his hero, so he never really pictured him in a shop setting.

Before Keith could elaborate, the doors from the main hall opened and the topic of their discussion walked in. Hunk was beaming, laughing and talking about some sort of pastry he planned on trying with the new ingredients that were most likely in the bags he and Shiro were holding.

After checking over his best friend for anything to show he'd been attacked at the market, Lance then turned to the older man before stopping to blink. He'd never seen Shiro so happy before, his mouth stretched wide in a grin that left his eyes crinkled and _sparkling_. It was nice, it made Lance feel warm inside, and he wondered just what had happened at the market to make the two so relaxed. He wished he could have been there and a pout pulled at his lips at missing something exciting.

"Hey guys!" Hunk greeted cheerfully, "I hope you're ready for a feast! Shiro found tons of interesting ingredients! Some were even in a few medical tents!"

Shiro's grin widened, "I just got some spices and tea leaves, Hunk got all the necessary things."

"Tea leaves?" Keith perked up a bit, relaxing as an amused smile flittered across his face, his tone sarcastic, "Are we doing a tea ceremony?"

"Keep up like that, I'll force you to do one with me." Shiro countered calmly, and Lance watched in amusement as Keith instantly grimaced at the reprimand and let it go.

The Blue Paladin, however, was very curious, "Tea ceremony?"

Shiro smiled again, and again Lance felt warmth bloom in his chest. It was nice to see him like this, "I haven't done a tea ceremony since I was nineteen. It's not the most fun thing, but my grandmother was a traditionalist so I know how."

"Since you were nineteen?" Pidge piped in, "How old are you now?"

Their leader paused, and the amount of time it took for him to do the mental math killed Lance inside. It shouldn't be that hard for a man to remember his own age, it shouldn't be a problem. It broke his heart to see him look so lost after just a moment ago seeing him so happy.

"Well," Shiro finally said, relaxing and then smiling again, "According to the calander Pidge and Hunk set up, my birthday was last week so… twenty-four, I guess."

"It was your birthday last week!" Lance shot up from his seat, as Keith blinked and glanced at the calander in shock, and Hunk and Pidge gave noises of distress, "Why didn't you say anything? We would have done something special!"

Shiro blinked, "Well-"

"I didn't even pay attention to the date!" Keith burst out, looking guilty and heart-broken, "I'm so sorry, Shiro! I didn't even realize it was March now, I never look at that thing!"

"It's fine, I-"

"I'll make you a cake!" Hunk put in, quickly going through a few bags, "We can sing happy birthday, and Allura and Coran can learn more about earth customs, and-"

"I'll go to the market and get presents!" Pidge talked over him, jumping to her own feet.

"That's really not nec-"

"I'll go with you!" Keith announced, also getting up.

"Guys-"

"I'll get Allura and Coran to help with decorations!" Lance burst in, all ready heading for the door with the others.

"Wait!" They all turned back to Shiro, who was flushed in the face and looked highly uncomfortable, "That's really not necessary, you guys. It's not something to throw a fit over. I'm fine, honest. I wouldn't have even noticed myself if you guys hadn't asked me. I'm sorry if I upset you by not realizing…."

Lance stared at him in horror as he realized Shiro thought he wasn't worth the trouble, that the man felt _guilty_ for not telling them, which made no sense to him at all, "Hey! That's not fair, Shiro. We should have asked earlier. I get that you don't want us to make a big show out of it, that's not who you are, but at least let us celebrate it with you. It's what teams do, you said so yourself that as a team we need to care for each other. Let us care."

Shiro flushed a bit more, and gave a quiet laugh before looking at them honestly, "I guess you're right but… I just want to have a hot cup of tea with my team. That's all the party I need and it's the only present I want."

Lance stared at his face, looking at the sincerity on his face and the hope that they'd just sit with him and not cause a big scene. Well, it was _his_ birthday… He sighed and looked at Keith, who gave a meaningful look back. Pidge nodded slowly, and Hunk looked a bit disappointed.

"I guess we could have a tea party…." Pidge finally voiced their decision, and they all breathed easier at the relief and joy that appeared on Shiro's face.

"I can still make a cake though, right?" Hunk asked quickly, "I really want to make a cake. Please?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they have cakes at tea parties all the time," Keith now, looking thoughtful, and Lance wondered if the other teen had ever even been to a tea party before. Was that what a tea ceremony was? A tea party? No, Keith had looked like he dreaded a ceremony, now he looked rather intrigued.

Shiro gave a small laugh, giving them all a warm look, and Lance welled up a bit in happiness at the words he said, "Yes, Hunk, you can still make a cake."

Hunk positively beamed, lunging forward and grabbing the man in a hug, startling a laugh out of their leader, "Thank you, Shiro!"

Lance watched him dart out of the common room, taking _all_ the bags with him to the kitchen, and then turned to Pidge, "You go get Allura and Coran, me and Keith'll set up a table for our tea party."

"I've only ever seen tea parties in movies that Shiro's sister made me watch." Keith announced awkwardly, as Pidge hummed and left the room to find the Alteans, "I've never actually been involved in a tea party."

Lance inwardly cheered. He knew it! But he just nodded outwardly, giving the mullet wearing teen a grin, "That's fine, I've got three younger sisters who _loved_ doing them, we'll manage."

Shiro cleared his throat, flushing a bit when the two of them turned to him, and Lance realized sadly that he still felt a bit uncomfortable with their 'celebration.' "Thank you, Lance, Keith… I… I really appreciate this." He smiled again, and lifted the one bag Hunk had allowed him to hold. It was bagged four times, so they couldn't see what was in it, but his words explained it all, "I'll make the tea." A mischief not normally seen appeared in his eyes as he glanced at Keith, "And next time we sit down together, the five of us can do a ceremony. I'd love to share one of my traditions with you guys."

Keith grimaced, but Lance beamed at the thought, "I wouldn't mind!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Shiro smiled in content as he watched Hunk 'frost' his cake with a strange concoction he'd thrown together with a powdery _almost_ sugar and the 'milk' they kept stocked here in the castle.

"Thank you for taking the time to do this for me, Hunk." He watched Hunk beam at him again, before turning as the kettle began screaming at them. Shiro felt the other watch him prep the tea, and hummed a bit to himself before stopping and frowning a bit at the kettle.

He hadn't heard that melody in a long time….

"Shiro? Are you okay?" Hunk's hand landed softly on his shoulder, and the leader closed his eyes, warmth in his chest.

"Yeah, just thinking of my grandmother." He smiled softly at his younger friend, who looked concerned and understanding, "She used to sing as she prepared tea for me and my sister. I took up the habit when I started making it for her." He grabbed the kettle with his metal hand and gave Hunk a gentle nudge to get him moving again.

Shiro felt warm inside for a moment, even as homesickness hit him hard. It got easier, missing his family, but with the tea and his birthday… he hoped his sister was taking care of the elderly woman who gave her soul to them after the accident-

He flinched a bit when he walked right into Hunk's back, shaking his head in confusion when he realized they were at the table. He hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt as the team all looked at him worriedly.

He'd really zoned for a minute there, huh. "Sorry Hunk, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"Are you sick?" Pidge asked frantically, and he tried not to flinch again. She had every right to be worried, he was generally _very_ aware of his surroundings. It was just… he felt so comfortable at the moment, so in tune with the team, he didn't even think about letting his guard down. He'd trusted his team and cared for them from the beginning, since they'd rescued him from the Garrison, but this is the first time he'd fully felt _content_.

He laughed at the realization. Shiro always worried about them, always told them that the team was family, always _felt_ like they were family, but this is the first time he truly felt at home.

"I'm fine," he said, grinning at their startled faces, "I was thinking about family, actually."

Shiro moved away from Hunk to set the kettle down, accepting the tray of cups that Keith handed him as Lance took the cake to put it at the center of the table. The Paladins and their Altean friends sat around the table, watching him closely out of concern, and Shiro felt warm again, but in a good way this time.

He poured the tea quickly, and began handing out cups and sugar, making sure to pass the milk to Keith. He took his, just pure tea with no additives, and sat as well.

Allura was looking into her cup curiously, fascination on her features and excitement in her eyes, "This is the tea you spoke of? Is it like the Muramasa you enjoy, Shiro?"

He grinned as understanding dawned on the Paladin's faces, and Coran took his first sip and lit up. "Not quite, but the Muramasa was the closest thing I could find in the castle."

Shiro picked up his cup, informed Allura that some people didn't like it without sugar or honey or milk, to give her fair warning, before taking a long sip of his own. It was a little bitter compared to what he was used to, but it was, without a doubt, _tea_. He breathed out a content sigh, closing his eyes and taking another sip.

He was home again, and he had his family around him. Shiro knew his grandmother and sister would be happy that he had this, and that was enough for him.

"I want milk in mine, too. C'mon Keith, give it!" He sighed deeply into his drink, this time exasperated, as Lance and Keith - who had been oddly companionable today - began fighting over _milk_.

He glanced over at Hunk, who put more sugar in his tea and rolled his eyes, and Pidge grumbled about 'boys' before Allura stepped in and swiped it away from the two, claiming she'd like to try hers with some as well. Coran was singing praises to the tea, claiming it was good as it was.

Shiro finally decided to leave it alone and let it go on around him, enjoying his first cup of tea in two years, and decided that he wouldn't ask to be anywhere else.

 **End!**

Well... I told you it would be very choppy, and disorganized, but I still hope you like it. This last bit with Shiro's POV was difficult, and I could have done way better, but... I just wanted to share this little thing with you all. Also, for some reason while writting this, I tried to name everything 'alien' Mura... and so the 'tea-like' drink that Shiro supposedly has every morning is 'Muramasa' whatever that is...


End file.
